Monday, November 30, 2009

I was excited this morning to receive a request to invoice a handful of images for the latest Nature Sauvage. One of the shots used was labeled as 'Page 1". Evidently, Page 1 means the cover for this particular magazine! What a thrill! Nature Sauvage sets the very highest standard for Quebec natural history publications. It seems that their editorial staff choose the images that appear in the magazine based on the visual impact of the images and not any other secondary considerations. ;)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

One of the coolest things about the red-eyed tree frog that is not often captured in still imagery is the amazing transition that they make from sleeping/camouflaged mode into the state of wakefulness. This is a first try at capturing this transition.

Creative lighting with speedlights in the studio environment is just one facet of what will be covered in my Phototrap Workshop.

Friday, November 27, 2009

"This is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the dynamic world of tripwire photography AND acquire the specialized equipment at a lower price than that offered by the manufacturer! Scott will pass on to you all his years of experience on how to light captive set-ups to look natural using speedlights and how to capture fleeting action that would otherwise be impossible with conventional photographic techniques. The skills that you will acquire in Scott's studio will be directly applicable to wild species. "

Saturday, November 21, 2009

An image from the Finland osprey series is on the front cover of the December issue of Nature Friend magazine. Nature Friend is a superb, children's publication rooted in family values and is a supporter of home schooling.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Here's something just for entertainement value. They are actual requests for image use from this past week. The funny thing about "The Very Big" case is that the gov't agency in question did have the budget to hire a third party to undertake this promotional campaign, just not for the single image around which the campaign would be based. :D

The Very Small

Them: "I received some grant money to installa permanent sign, such as you would find at a State or National park.Unfortunately there is no money in the budget for imagery."

Me: "Thanks for your inquiry. It is essential that I produce revenue for any andall usages of my work. That being said, the beauty of the rights managedsales model is that the small application pays the small fee. You couldhave full resolution files for all the images you mentioned for a one timefee of $100. Keep in mind that the principle of the time value of money appliesuniversally. Finding equivalent quality from a serious amatuer at nomonetary cost is possible, but at the expense of your time. Same dayresponse and quality of service are generaly not associated with the seriousamatuer who is often pre-occupied with a day job. I would be happy to provide those to you under the above terms."

Them: "Thanks for your response. I certainly understand the need to producerevenue and you make good a good point about my own time. I will keep yourterms in mind as I move forward."

The Very Big

Them: "As discussed over the phone we are interested in the following image for an upcoming campaign for the ********"

Them: "Again, the ******** is a government agency and would not have a large purse for image purchase. If you are interested it would most-likely more be for the recognition and portfolio than a financial gain."

Them: "It is not a large campaign for them, it will be around a 4-week campaign. As it looks now (however the marketing plan is always changing) a rough estimate would be: 3 magazines inserts, 4 large scale banners, some transit shelter ads, 8 newsprint insertions and possibly a :05 or :07 V tag"

Me: "If obtained through a stock agency, the usage described would command a conservative estimate of $1500~$2000. Now I realize that government agencies have limited budgets and as such I am very open to negotiation. But I am not in the position to provide such usage without monetary compensation."

Them: "It turns out that the ******** is going with another image and will not be moving forward with yours.Thanks for your time"

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I have been on the road for the past few days photographing saw-whet owls. Here is quick process job on one of the better shots from the shoot. These little guys have always been a fav of mine. Imagine an owl the size of a rolled up pair of wool socks. So photogenic...